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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Thursday, officially presented food items and other relief materials to flood victims in Bayelsa State.
The presentation followed weeks of protests by the State Government and stakeholders over the delay and lackluster attitude displayed towards the State despite the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari for all interventionist agencies to help all ravaged States from flooding with grains and other items from last month.
NEMA, however, through its zonal office, presented some non-food items, which were described as not enough to mitigate the situation of the growing number of displaced people in the IDP camps in the State.
But the Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, while presenting the latest items to the Bayelsa Government, said the Federal Government had approved the release of 12,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains from the National Strategic Reserve Stock for the distribution to all States of the federation and the FCT.
Ahmed, who was represented by the Director of Search and Rescue in NEMA, Air Commodore Edward Kolawole Adedokun, said the items were expected to help the most vulnerable groups of people, who were displaced by the flood.
He said: “The items include; 1,105 tonnes of maize (2,100 50kg bags) 88.7 tonnes of sorghum (1,774 50kg bags), 98.7 tonnes of garri (3,948 25kg bags). The seeds will be distributed directly to people who they deserve in collaboration with the Bayelsa SEMA officials and the NEMA Zonal Office.
“Additional relief materials approved in the form of food and non-food items to further support people affected by the flood disaster in Bayelsa State will arrive soon. They include; 1,000 10kg bags of rice, 1,000 10kg bags of beans , 1,000 bags of 10kg of corn, 75 bags of salt (20kg), 75 drums of vegetable oil (201trs), 150 cartons of seasoning cubes (maggi/knor cartonr) tomato (50 sachets).
“The Non-Food Items are, 8,000 pieces of nylon mats, 1,000 pieces of mosquito nets (treated), 600 cartons of bath soap, 2,500 pieces of guinea brocade (5 yards), 1,000 pieces of children’s clothing, 1,000 pieces of women’s clothing.(new), 1,000 pieces of men’s clothing.
He also acknowledged that several states in Nigeria, including Bayelsa, have suffered widespread flood disaster in the last two months, which needs the attention of the government, explaining that the unfortunate disaster has resulted in loss of lives, displacement people, loss of means of livelihood and socio-economic dislocation.
Receiving the articles on behalf of the state government, the commissioner for agriculture, Mr. David Alagoa, appreciated the federal government agency for identifying with the state during the disaster.
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